THE 

SOCIETY OF CINCINNATI 

IN THE 

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE 
PLANTATIONS. 




RHODE ISLAND 

jSoripfg of (Jinrinnati. 

The Annual Meetin(; in the State 
House, and Commemorative 
Dinner at the 

NARRAGANSETT HOTEL, 
Providence, R. I., 

ON THE 

FOURTH OF JULY, 1878. 




PROVIDENCE, R. I. : 

J. A. & R. A. REID, PRINTERS. 

187S. 



is.l.Pub. Llte^ 



,1 ^ 



OF CIN, 




[N THE State of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations. 



Organized 17th December, 1783 
Incorporated 28lh February, 1814. 
Act of Incorporation Amended 26th March, 1878. 



1[ani;it| |uli|, 1878. 



OFFICERS: 



President, . Hon. NATHANAEL GREENE, Newport, R. I. 

Vice President, Hon. SIMON HENRY GREENE, River Point, R. I. 

Secretary, . Dr. HENRY EDWARD TURNER, Newport, R. I. 

Assistant Secretary. Prof. ASA BIRD GARDNER, LL.D.,West Point, N.Y. 
Treasurer, . SAMU EL CH ACE BLODGET, Esq., Providence, R. I. 

Assistant Treasurer, Di'. DAVID KING, Newport, R. I. 

These OflTicers cnnstitiite tlie "''Standing Committee." 

Chaplain: 

Revd. JOHN HENRY ROGERS, A. M. 

Delegates to the General Society: 

Hon. NATHANAEL GREENE, Prof. ASA BIRD GARDNER, 

Dr. DAVID KING, Hon. JAMES MASON CLARKE, 

Dr. HENRY EDWARD TURNER. 



Alternates: 

Hon. DANIEL WANTON LYMAN, 
JAMES M. VARNUM, Esq., 
SAMUEL CHACE BLODGET, Esq., 
Hon. HORATIO ROGERS. 

Committee on Publication of Register 



Hon. JOSHUA M, ADDEMAN, 



Dr. DAVID KING, 



HENRY THAYER DROWNE, Esq. 



Rhode Island Society 
OF Cincinnati. 



ANNUAL MEETING AND COMMEMO- 
RATIVE DINNER. 

In accordance with the time-honored custom, 
the "Society of Cincinnati in the State of Rhode 
Island and Providence Plantations," held Its annu- 
al meeting Fourth of July noon, and partook of 
the annual commemorative dinner in the after- 
noon. The meeting was held in the Senate Cham- 
ber, at the State House, and was presided over by 
the President, Hon. Nathaniel Greene, of 
Newport, descendant of Gen. Nathanael 
Greene. There were present the Vice President, 
Hon. Simon Henry Greene, of Riverpoint, a de- 
scendant of Col. Christopher Greene; Secretary 
Dr. Henry E. Turner, of Newport, a descendant of 
Surgeon Turner; Treasurer Samuel C. Blodget, 
Esq., descendant of Major Blodget; Assistant 
Secretary, Prof. Asa Bird Gardner, of the United 
States Military Academy, West Point, a descend- 
ant of Lieut. Jonathan Willard; Assistant Treas- 
urer, Dr. David King, a descendant of Surgeon 
King; James M. Varnum, of New York, descend- 
ant of Brigadier General James M. Varnum ; Da'i- 
iel W. Lyman, descendant of Colonel Daniel 
Lyman, afterwards Chief Justice of Rhode 
Island; Thomas Vincent Carr^ descendant of 
Colonel .Jeremiah Oluey, the last colonel in 
the line, by whom the colors of the regiment were 
turned over to the Slate; Hon. James M.Clarke, 
Hon. Amos Perry, Hon. J. M. Addeman; also, in 
accordance with the provisions of the Association, 
the eldest sins of some of the members, who are 
entitled hereditarily to membership, and are al- 
lowed the privileges of attending the meeting and 
the commemorative dinner. 

The Society of the Cincinnati was formed in 1783 
at the close of the Revolutionary War, of the offi- 
cers of the United States army who served three 
years in the regular Continental line, a^d to be per- 
petuated by the eldest male descendants of those 
officers, or when there are no direct male descend' 
ants, by those of collateral branches. Baron De 
Steuben was the first President. The Society 



was divided, for the purpose of convenience, into 
State Societies, one in each of the original thirteen 
States. Some of the Societies have died out, and 
there are but seven or eight now in existence. 
Gen. Nathanael Greene was the first President of 
the Rhode Island Society. This Society has been 
out of existence for thirty or forty years, but has 
recently been resuscitated. In commemoration of 
the union of the American and French armies the 
ribbon of the badges is of blue and white, the 
white renresenting the lily of France. Most of the 
badges worn at this meeting were nearly one hun- 
dred years old The colors presented to the State 
by Col. Olney, were aisplayed lu the hall, by per- 
mission of the General Assembly, at its recent ses- 
sion. These State Societies have a triennial con- 
vention, and it is a curious coincidence that at the 
first triennial convention, held in 1784, three of the 
five Rhode Island delegates were Gen. Nathanael 
Greene, Gen. .James M. Varuum, and Col. Daniel 
Lyman, while at the last triencial convention, 
held last May, three of the delegates were de- 
scendants of the three named and bore exactly the 
same names. And it may he stated that these 
three were at this meeting. 

The meeting was opened in due form, Rev. Jas. 
G. Vose, of the Massachusetts Society, perform- 
ing the chaplaincy services. After the routine 
business the following were elected members of 
the Society: 

David Barclay Kirby, grandson of Hon. 
Ephraim Kirby, Surgeon. 

Henrv Waterman Holden, great grandson of 
Gen. William Allen. 

Rev. John Henry Rogers, grandson of Lieut. 
John Rogers. 

Charles Prior, grandson of Ensign Jabez Bar- 
ney. 

Gen. Horatio Rogers, grand-nephew of Lieut. 
Robert Rogers. 

Henry Thayer Drowne, grandson of Surgeon 
Solomon Drowne. 

Horace S. Bl"odgood, great grandson of Surgeon 
Isaac Senter. 

Wm M. Davis, grandson of Capt. Robert Davis. 

Moses Don vi lie Coburn, great grandson ol Cipt. 
Pierre DouvlUe. Continental Navv. 

Daniel H. Barton, grandson of Gen. William Bar- 
ton, captor of Gen, I'rescott. 

Messrs. Kirby, John H. Rogers, Prior, Horatio 
Rogers, Drowne and Holden appeared and for- 
mally joined the Society. 

The report of the Treasurer, showing the finan- 
ces of the Society to be In good condition, was 
read and accepted. 

The annual report of the Secretary was also read 
and accepted. This report was a long one, and 
showed that much progress had been made in get- 
ting together documents formerly belonging to 
the Society and in putting the Society in good con- 
dition. 

The report of the delegates to the general cou- 
vention at Philadelphia, in May last, was also pre- 
sented and accepted. 

The report of tlie Standing Committee was also 



presented and accepted. The report gives an ac- 
count of the doings of the past year. The Com- 
mittee recommended the passage of the following 
resolutions: 

Whereas, This Societjr on the fourth day of 
July, 17iW, did expel an original member, Captain 
Lieutenant Joseph Arnold, for paying a small 
debt in paper money— said sum being a legal ten- 
der for the discharge of such obligation and 

Whereax, Captain Arnolu was an officer of the 
Revolution who did creditable and valuable Ser- 
vice to the State, and subsequently maintained a 
respectable position In society to his decease, and 
i\ fif?-eas. The cause of his expulsion was not an 
illegal or frivolous act involving moral turpitude, 
but rather political in its nature— and consequently 
not examinable here— although undoubtedly con- 
sidered serious by our honored revolutionary 
members of "federalistic i^oliiical proclivities," 
therefore. 

Resolved, That said resolution of expulsion be, 
and it Is hereby, rescinded and declared null and 
void, and so noted on the record. 

Resolved, By the Society of Cincinnati, in the 
State of Khode Island andProvidence Plantations, 
that the rulo adonted <m the fourth day of July, 
180(), at the annual meeting in Providence, by 
whicli each applicant for hereditary membership 
should pay into the Society's treasury on his ad- 
mission thirty dollars, be hereby revived and 
after this date in full force and effect, but this 
payment may be waived. by the Society. 

Resolved, That hereatter all applicants for mem- 
bership whose ancestors respectively through 
whom they make claim were never original mem- 
bers of the Cincinnati, shall, upon admission 
into this Society, pay into its treasury as a con- 
dition precedent thereto the sum of one hundred 
and fifty dollars. 

Any member of the Cincinnati in another State 
Society joining the Society by transfer shall pay 
into the treasury the sum of |;ili, but shall never be 
entitled, either personally or as to his family, to 
enjoy relief from the Society's permanent fund. 
unless the full sum of Sl.'ill shall have been contrib- 
uted. 

In the election into this Society of any person 
tereditarilv entitled to admission (but not previ- 
ously formally admitted) into any other State So- 
ciety, the sum ol %\f){\ will hereafter be required as 
a contribution to the permaneni tund of the Soci- 
ety. 

The resolution concerning Joseph Arnold was 
passed unanimously. Concerning the second, 
Prof. Gardner stated that it was considered that 
$1.50 was about a fair average of an officer's pay, 
with simple interest up to this time. One of the 
State Societies requires an admission fee of STUIl, 
ana another requires $(itlO under these circum- 
stances, but the Committee considered $1.50 was 
fair. As to the 8.30 admission fee. that was the 
same as in the other States. Prof. Gardner also 
stated that the Massachusetts Societv had a per- 
manent fund of $70,000, Pennsylvania "$()0,OiiO, and 
other States several thousand, while the funds of 
this Society had dwindled down into hundreds. 
This state of the Society's finances was due to the 
fact that the Society loaned to its members of the 
fund on promis-sory notes. Some of the members 
who stood high in the army, and some of whom 
also performed honorable civil service after waj-ds, 
became straightened in circumstances, and as the 



relief from Congress in the shape of pensions came 
too late, the Society loaned them money. This 
was a t;ood thing to do. but it reduced the Hnances 
very much. The resolution was then passed. 

The Committee to apply to the General Assem- 
bly to resuscitate the charter also presented their 
report, to the effect that the Assembly had refused 
to grant the prayer of certain jietitiotiers that the 
Society be abrogated, and had passed an amend- 
ment to the charter declaring the present mem- 
bers of the Society the true corporators, and that 
the Society had never been dissolved. The origi- 
nal charter and the amendment were read and the 
report was accepted. 

The Committee to apply to the General Assem- 
bly to obtain "for the use of the Society, on all oc- 
casions, the historic standard of colors of the First 
Regiment Rhode Island Continental Infantry of 
the Revolution," also submitted a report, which 
was accepted, and from which we take the follow- 
ing: 

The General Assembly, as an expression of its 
continued confidence in our honorable old Society, 
by resolution passed May adtb, 1878, complied with 
our reijuest. These historic old flags saw service 
in the battle of Rhode Island, sietie of Yorktnwn, 
and surrender of Lieut. Gen. Earl Cornwallis's 
army to His Kxcellency General Washington and 
the allied French and American armies, Utth Octo- 
ber, 1781. Thev subsequently saw service in the 
expedition under Co'. Marinus Willett, from Fort 
Herkimer to Fort Oswego, from the 8th to the 13th 
February, 1783, and although unsuccessful, evoked 
from Washington his "warmest thanks." On the 
28th February, 1784, the Rhode Island Continental 
officers, founders of our Society, through Colonel 
Jeremiah Olney, whose great-grandson represents 
him with us to-day, presented this stand of colors, 
here displayed, to the Rhode Island General As- 
sembly. Oi' the same day the Governor ana Legis- 
lature jointly responded, and, among other things, 
said: "With peculiar satisfaction they recollect 
the bravery and good conduct of the officers of the 
line of this State, who, after suffering all the toils 
and fatigues of a long and bloody contest, covered 
with laurels, have re-assumed domestic life. They 
are happv in receiving these standards, which 
have often been displayed with glory and bravery, 
in the face of very powertul enemies, and will 
carefully preserve the same to commemorate the 
achievements of so brave a corps." 

The question of publishing the Memorial Regis- 
ter came up, when Dr. Turner stated that Mr. S. 
S. Rider was to publish it. In this connection Dr. 
Turner stated that the register had been prepared 
by Prof. Gardner, and contained a complete mili- 
tary history of every original member of the 
Rhode Island Society. He complimented Prof. 
Gardner in the highest terms for his efficiency In 
preparing tliis work, and moved a vote of thanks 
to him for these services. Messis. Lyman and 
Perry also complimented the work, and Col. 
Roge'rs said that from conversation with Mr. 
Rider coiueniin^' the manner of its publication he 
was certain the setting would be worthy the jew- 
el. The vote of thanks to Prof. Gardner was then 



Letters were read from the Massachusetts, Penn- 
sylvania, and South Carolina Societies, congratu- 
lating the Society on its resuscitation. 



Rev. John H. Rogers, Professor of Union College, 
was appointed Chaplain for the ensuing year. 

Lieutenant (rovernor William Greene, a de- 
scendant of Col. Ray Greene, was elected an hono- 
rary member. 

The officers of the past year were reelected, as 
given above. 

A resolution was passed authorizing the Treasu- 
rer to demand from the Union Bank, the four 
shares of stock belonging to the Society, and all 
dividends, and the Treasurer was also authorized 
to collect other sums and receipt therefor. 

The following were elected delegates to the 
next General Convention: Nathaniel Greene, 
David King, A. B. Gardner, J. M. Clarke, H. E. 
Turner. Alternates. D. W. Lyman, J. M. Varnum, 
S. C. Ulodgett, Horatio Rogers. 

A resolution was passed authorizing the Stand- 
ing Committee to talie such action as it may 
deem necessary with reference to the celebra- 
tion of the battle of Rhode Island, August 2ilth 
next. 

Prof. Gardner, in accordance with the cus- 
tom, tlien read the principles on which the 
Society is founded. Chaplain Rogers offered the 
closing prayer, and the meeting adjourned. 

THE COMMEMORATIVE PINNER. 

Upon the adjournment of the meeting, the 
Society formed in line and, bearing the faded 
flags so full of history, marched to the Narragan- 
sett Hotel for the commemorative dinner. Be- 
side the members of the Society and those en- 
titled to partake of the dinner, there were present 
United States Senator Anthony and Mayor Doyle 
as invited guests, while letters were read from 
Senator Burnside and Hon. Zachariah Allen, ex- 
pressing regrets at their inability to accept the 
invitation extended them to be present. 

After the dinner letters were read from Penn- 
sylvania, New Jersey and other societies, con- 
gratulating tlie Rhode Island .Society on its re- 
suscitation, and the following thirteen toasts 
were given, according to custom, being the same 
given at the commemorative dinner of the 
Society in 1787, 1788, 17HH and 1800: 

I. The Government of the United States of 
America. 

Response by Hon. H. B. Anthony. 

II. The State of Rhode Island and Providence 
Plantations. May virtue and wisdom ever direct 
its measures. 

Response by Hon. J. M. Addeman, Secretary of 
State. 

III. The memory of His Excellency General 
■Washington, our first President-General. 

Drank in silence. 

IV. The nth of October, 1777, and 19th of Octo- 
ber, 1781. 

Response by Prof. Asa Bird Gardner. 

V. The memory of His Most Christian Majesty, 
Louis XVI. 

VI. Our Brethren of the Order of Cincinnati, 
now assembled in their respective States. May 
the recollection of their and our ancestors' ser- 
vices together in the war for American Indeptn- 
dence, at the capture of Ticonderoga; sieges of 
Boston, St. John's and Quebec; battles of Long 
Island, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandy- 



wine. Germantowu, Monmouth. Rhode Island, 
Guilford Court House, and Eutaw Springs; and 
in the cantonments at Morristown, Valley Forge, 
and High Hills of Sautee. continue to encourage 
them and us in maintaining inviolable the patri- 
otic and beneficent principles on which our So- 
ciety is founded. 

Re.sponse by Rev. J. G. Vose. 

VIL. The patriots who fell in the Revolutionary 
war. The earth which covers their bones shall 
support the monuments of their glory. 

Response by Henry Thayer Drowne. 

VIII. The Day. May every return of it bring to 
the people of the United State.s increase of wis- 
dom, strength and virtue. 

Response by Mayor Doyle. 

IX. Our first President, Major General the Hon. 
Nathanael Greene, whose services as Commanding 
General in the Carolinas gave independence to 
those States, and marked him as one of the great- 
est military minds o'f his age. 

Response by Hon. Amos Perry. 

X. The destruction of H. B. M. armed schooner 
Gaspee. Ulth June. 1772. fit precursor of the daring 
deeds on sea ot ('omni (lore Abraham Whipple, 

■ Silas Talbot and Pinrre Doiiville, ;ind startling evi- 
dence to Gaorge 111. that the juMiple of Rhode Isl- 
and knew their rights and dared maintain them. 

Response bv Gen. Horatio Rogers. 

XI The fair friends ot the Cincinnati. 

Response by James M. Varnum. 

XII. The Rhode Island Continental Line t.f the 
Revolution : Worthy successors of her provincial 
troops in the earlier contests, and noble examples 
to herregiments in subsequent wars, who emula- 
ted their rei^own and brouarht honor to the State. 

Response by Dr. David King. 

XIII. Peace and Prosperity to our Country. 
Response by Dr. Henry E. Turner. 

Of the responses to the sentiments, and of the 
various otherfgood things said and done at the din- 
ner, verily the outer world must forever remain 
in ignorance, for was it not set down by the mana- 
gers that none but the members of the Society and 
invited guests should be regaled thereby. 



Note. — The preceding- article was printed 
in the Provklcnce Jovrnal, Vol. LII, No. 160, 
on Saturday, the 6th of July, 1878, and the 
editors of that estimable paper ^vill please 
accept the thanks of the undersigned for 
their very appreciable courtesy, as also for 
the use of the types. The original members 
of the Cincinnati not dead, but living- in their 

descendants. 

HENRY T. DROWNE, 
No. 52 Wall St., New York, N. Y. 




LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 
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